Charcoal Skin Care Products for Acne Prone Skin

Do you have oily or combination skin? You may want to consider incorporating charcoal into your skin care regimen.

Sure, charcoal is totally on trend right now and may seem like a fad, but it’s for good reason. Charcoal absorbs oil and draws out toxins and bacteria from the skin.

Those of us with this skin type know that excess oil leads to clogged pores, which leads to blemishes. Bacteria, transferred by way of constantly touching your face or even tampering with those blemishes, only leads to more blemishes. It’s a vicious cycle my friends.

I decided to give a few charcoal products a try (and my teen son’s were also game to clear up their acne.)

These are the current charcoal skin care products in my shower right now:

Michael Todd Charcoal Detox Cleanser: With a black, semi gel-like consistency, this cleanser comes in a pretty large bottle with a pump. I didn’t notice a fragrance to it, but what was noticeable was how amazing my skin looked after using this for a few months. Even my oldest son, who is always broken out with acne all over his forehead, had a large decrease since using this cleanser.

Aside from activated charcoal, this cleanser also contains aloe, which will help soothe acne flare-ups; tea tree oil, an anti-bacterial; and sugar cane, maple and bilberry extract for retexturizing the skin.

Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub: This gritty, black facial scrub doesn’t really have a smell to it. It’s not greasy at all and the texture is like a paste. This activated charcoal facial scrub uses jojoba wax beads to exfoliate, which are gentler on skin and won’t scrape it up (like say a scrub with apricot kernels would.) So while you slough off the dead skin, the charcoal is taking care of the excess oil and bacteria. This scrub also contains tea tree oil like the detox cleanser. (The tube pictured is trial size; the full size is much bigger.)

LATHER Charcoal and Tea Tree Cleansing Bar: When is the last time you had a black bar of soap in your shower? My kids were perplexed when they saw it. You can smell the tea tree oil in this soap, but it’s not overwhelming. Keep the bar away from water when not in use, and it will last a ridiculously long time. I’ve been using it for about 2 months now and it looks like I’ve barely touched it. Simply rub the bar in your palms and then massage onto your face and then rinse.

LATHER Charcoal Konjac Sponge: Get one of these STAT. I’ve never used a konjac sponge prior to this, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. It looks like a pumice stone – even feels like one when you take it out of the package. However, the moment water touched it, it immediately became this silky sponge. You can use it alone or with a cleanser. When I pair it with my Michael Todd Detox Cleanser, it makes it lather (so use only a small amount.) When you’re done, keep it out of water. It’ll dry back to it’s hard, pumice-like state. It is literally amazing and I love it.

Obviously I don’t use these products all at once, but I do consistently alternate them daily to keep my skin blemish-free.

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Shannon began A Girl’s Gotta Spa! beauty blog in 2005 to morph her love of beauty and in educating women on what truly works and what does not. In 2013 she launched a bath and body line as an extention of the beauty blog. One thing she always has on her at all times? Lip balm.

Comments

I’ve been wanting to try charcoal products for months and these recommendations are great. I’m a little hesitate as I do have sensitive oily skin and my skincare regime has been the same since I was 16! Where did you buy these products?

Hi Jenn, each product is hyperlinked to where to purchase. I think the Charcoal Detox Cleanser and the Charcoal + Tea Tree Oil soap should be safe for sensitive skin, not sure about the scrub or the Konjac Sponge (although the sponge is pretty gentle.)